Picerne Military Housing hosts 2012 Fall Festival

Thursday

Oct 18, 2012 at 12:01 AMOct 18, 2012 at 9:21 AM

kimberly durden PMH PAO

Hotdogs on the grill and lots of candy were just two ingredients in the recipe for fun at Picerne Military Housing’s Fall Festival in the Biazza Ridge Neighborhood on Oct. 5. More than 3,000 military Family members attended the annual, free event and enjoyed food, fun and games.

Pam LeTourneau, spouse of Air Force Lt. Col. Rob LeTourneau, attended the event with her Family.

“It’s a great chance to come out as a Family and see people that you know, but who live in other neighborhoods,” said LeTourneau, who resides at Pope.

The highlight of the event for LeTourneau’s 7-year old daughter was the candy, but her 18-year old son preferred the 30-foot tall inflatable slide.

Volunteers from the Fort Bragg Chaplain’s Office made balloon flowers, swords and animals, while USO of North Carolina volunteers and face painter Diamond Sykes painted faces with intricate designs like tigers and butterflies. The Fayetteville FireAntz mascot could be seen around the park, dancing with children, posing for photos and handing out complementary children’s tickets for their season opener.

Lisa Sanford, assistant neighborhood manager for Picerne, noted that many residents had good things to say about the Fall Festival. “Events like this provide opportunities to build friendships and bring Families closer together,” said Sanford.

More than 4,000 free hotdogs, chips and drinks were served to attendees. Children were able to decorate treat bags and fill them with candy they received as prizes for games like musical chairs, bowling and pin the nose on the pumpkin. One special attraction was the pumpkin patch where children picked out a small pumpkin to decorate and take home.

The raffle drawing was also very popular and many entered for a chance to win a variety of gift cards. Children were able to guess the number of candies in a jar in hopes of winning the large container of candy corn.

Anita Miller, a resident of the Corregidor Courts/Bougainville Neighborhood, and spouse of Sgt. 1st Class Michael Miller of XVIII Airborne Corps, brought her two children to the Fall Festival.

“I really love the community events. I get to meet new people and have fun with my kids,” said Miller. “There’s no cost and it’s just so much easier to attend events on post.”

Picerne Military Housing offers free, Family-oriented events for on-post residents throughout the year.

Cristal Tye, a resident of the Nijmegen/Cherbourg Neighborhood, attended the event with her son.

“I love that there are so many things for a Family to do together,” she said.

For more information on these and other on-post events, please visit www.braggpicerne.com.